Fantastic Friday – My Corner

A Special Friendship Between Man and Canine: My Review of Together: A Story of Shared Vision by Tom Sullivan and Betty White #FantasticFridayReads #Fiction #Inspiration

What Amazon Says

One misstep on a mountain climbing trip plunged Brenden into darkness by stealing his sight—and everything else he held dear. But an independent guide dog named Nelson might just bring him back to life . . . if they don’t kick him out of guide dog school first.

Twenty-two-year-old Brenden McCarthy feels like he’s lost everything. His fiancée. His independence. And his passion for life. All due to one mountain-climbing misstep that cost him his vision.

But he’s about to gain the last thing he ever expected: a big-hearted black Labrador named Nelson who’s given one last shot at being a Seeing Eye dog after his last two pairings failed.

Both are beyond hope and resigned to live alone. And both are about to experience a bond of friendship that develops when they least expect it.

Together is a heartwarming story for anyone who’s ever lost sight of what matters most in life . . . but has hope that there’s more.

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My 4-Star Review

In my work with older adults who recently lost their eyesight, I learned that adjusting to vision loss can be more difficult than being born with impaired or no vision. For this reason, I think the authors gloss over Brenden’s initial rehabilitation process. I would like to have read more about his struggles to learn to cook, use a computer, and organize his clothes, not to mention dressing, shaving, eating, and other personal care tasks. Granted, we see him in a daily living class at the rehabilitation center, pouring milk into a glass, then realizing the cup is upside down, thus spilling milk all over the table and into the other students’ laps. But how does everyone, including Brenden, react to this? We don’t know, and we should.

That having been said, I was right there with Brenden and Nelson during guide dog training, feeling all the emotions associated with the process. I’ve never used such an animal, but Tom Sullivan has had a few of them. Compared to true stories I’ve read on the subject, I think this is realistic. I was moved by the way Nelson saves Brenden from himself.

I like the way this story is told from the third-person point of view of the main characters. The list of resources and author’s note after the amazing ending add a nice touch. I recommend this book especially to those who had sight and lost it in the hope they may be inspired.

Photo Courtesy of Tess Anderson Photography

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by Two Pentacles Publishing

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New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

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by Two Pentacles Publishing

Sixteen-year-old Natalie’s grandmother, suffering from dementia and confined to a wheelchair, lives in a nursing home and rarely recognizes Natalie. But one Halloween night, she tells her a shocking secret that only she and Natalie’s mother know. Natalie is the product of a one-night stand between her mother, who is a college English teacher, and another professor.

After some research, Natalie learns that people with dementia often have vivid memories of past events. Still not wanting to believe what her grandmother has told her, she finds her biological father online. The resemblance between them is undeniable. Not knowing what else to do, she shows his photo and website to her parents.

Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.

Her younger sister, Sarah, senses their parents’ marital difficulties. At Thanksgiving, when she has an opportunity to see Santa Claus, she asks him to bring them together again. Can the jolly old elf grant her request?

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A Delightful Trip Down Memory Lane- My Review of More Than Coffee by Lauren Scott #FantasticFridayReads #Memoir #Poetry

What Amazon Says

From the early woes of childhood and teen years, this collection of stories and poems paints a picture of young dreams and fears. But as adulthood sets in, these dreams and fears change. More than Coffee touches on love and loss, nature and endurance, marriage and parenting. In these memories, humor diffuses fear and taking risks proves to be a powerful method in boosting self-confidence. Through it all, whether in the wilderness near a sparkling lake or in the comfort of home, there’s nothing like a good cup of coffee. A poignant and reflective collection of verse and prose that is best enjoyed sipping your favorite coffee roast.

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My 5-Star Review

I bought this book after it came out a couple of years ago and forgot about it until I recently read about Lauren Scott’s latest poetry collection, Ever So Gently, which I’m also reading. I recently developed a taste for coffee and thought this would be the perfect book to read, though it’s not really about coffee. Since I do most of my reading before bed, drinking coffee while reading this book was out of the question, but a cup of hot chocolate created a nice substitute.

Being a musician, I was intrigued by Lauren Scott’s experiences singing solo and with choirs and saddened to learn that she put her music career on hold, as did I. I enjoyed reading about her family’s adventures backpacking in the wilderness, and the piece about her fear of spiders was fascinating. Other stories about how she and her husband met and how her parents met and the lives of her in-laws brought back more memories.

The poems, some rhyming and some free verse, add a nice touch. This short, sweet journey down Memory Lane is sure to please everyone.

Photo Courtesy of Tess Anderson Photography

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by Two Pentacles Publishing

New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

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by Two Pentacles Publishing

Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.

***

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A Blind Person’s Life: My 5-Star Review of If You Could See What I Hear by Tom Sullivan #FantasticFridayReads #Memoir #Inspiration

In this compelling memoir, musician and actor Tom Sullivan covers almost thirty years of his life from his premature birth in 1948 and subsequent loss of vision due to receiving too much oxygen in the incubator to his marriage and beginning of his musical career. He details his childhood with an overprotective mother and daredevil father, and his education, marriage, and the birth of two children. With a lot of honesty and some humor, he shows us that blind people are no different, other than the fact they can’t see.

I’d never heard of Tom Sullivan until I stumbled on a blog post from Mike Calvo, CEO of Pneuma Solutions, in which he mentioned this book. Finding it enlightening, I’m glad I picked it up.

I like how Tom Sullivan opens the book with a scene in which his three-year-old daughter nearly drowns in the family’s swimming pool. He then assures us the child survived and takes us back to the beginning of his life.

I was drawn to his fascination with sounds as a child. A good example of this is how, at age five, after climbing the fence in his back yard and ending up in an alley, he found pieces of discarded glass and discovered the delightful sound they made when they shattered upon impact with the ground. I also liked the sound of breaking glass as a kid but never intentionally broke anything just to hear that sound.

Another part of the book I liked was when he talked about his experiences singing in nightclubs. An Italian owner of such an establishment once insisted he sing “O Solo Mio,” even though he didn’t know it and gave him the impression that if he didn’t sing the song, he’d lose life or limb, not to mention pay. He miraculously managed to learn the song between sets. This happened in the late 1960’s, and being a musician myself, I couldn’t help wondering if he was aware that Elvis Presley’s “It’s Now or Never” uses the same tune. That may not have occurred to him at the time, and that’s understandable.

As an aside, I aspired to be a famous singer and often wondered what would have happened if I’d chosen that career path. But after reading about Tom Sullivan’s family’s financial struggles after he made such a choice, I’m glad I took the road I did.

I also liked the speech Tom Sullivan imagined giving to clients and administrators at the Braille Institute in Los Angeles while walking on the beach with his guide dog. I was touched by his reluctance to give an inspirational talk to blind people when no one offered such inspiration to him and his sudden decision to do so after his guide dog was nearly killed by a passing vehicle.

I hope both blind and sighted people find this book entertaining and educational. It’s important that we all see what blind people hear.